Getting the Memo
by katierosefun
Summary: Coulson opened his mouth to reply - maybe give some sort of retort - but all that came out was a heavy, loud series of coughs that caused him to lean over the bed. Skye quickly rolled off the bed, alarmed. She started to walk towards Coulson, but he lifted a hand in front of him, blocking her. "It's fine," he gasped out. "I'm fine." [Coulson is sick and Skye wants to help out.]


My laptop is officially dead, so I can't work on any other fics. *screaming forever* And I have pollen allergies, which has been driving me up the wall - more than usual. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, I'm freaking out over the S2 finale of AOS. _What happened to Jemma?!_

Somehow, after feeling crappy, I managed to write this thing on my phone. Because if I'm in pain, other characters must feel pain. Mwahahahaha.

* * *

 _Getting the Memo_

Skye didn't mind being the only one with Coulson. There wasn't anything necessarily uncomfortable about it (far from it), but there was something sad and lonely about still having Coulson and not being able to talk to him. Skye didn't even understand what the big deal was - all she knew was that her friend had excused himself and said that he couldn't be bothered.

Which annoyed Skye.

Because she didn't think she was ever bothering _Coulson_. Ever.

Skye turned her head to look at Coulson's door, wondering if she could possibly sneak in - because the concept didn't seem that bad...all she had to do was place her hand on the doorknob, then turn it...and push the thing open. _Easier said than done_ , was Skye's next thought. Puffing out a frustrated breath, Skye rested her head on the wall and glared at the unforgivingly closed door.

"I'll come back later," Skye muttered to herself. She started to turn on her heel, and rubbing her temples, added, "No, I won't. Dammit." Throwing her shoulders back, Skye reached out for the doorkeepenob. Before she could lose her wits (that was something she didn't feel everyday), she shoved open the door -

And found that Coulson wasn't even in the room.

"Are you kidding me?" Skye asked aloud, stomping her foot. " _That_ was a waste of time -"

"What was a waste of time?"

Skye froze. _Crap_ , she thought, resisting the urge to cringe. _He's right behind me, isn't he? Crap._ Forcing a bright smile on her face, Skye whirled around and said as cheerfully and non-embarrassingly as she could (non-embarrassingly? Ah, whatever), said, "Hey...AC! I was just..." Skye blindly reached for Coulson's desk, and wrapped her hand around a pencil. Widening her smile, Skye held the object up and said, "Looking for this." She blinked. "Ha, look - not in your suit, I see."

Coulson didn't look convinced of Skye's sudden change of topic - but to his credit, he looked more amused than unimpressed. He only shrugged his shoulders, as though that'd offer a good-enough explanation for his lack of formal wear. (He was wearing a plain t-shirt, along with A pencil?" he asked, lifting both of his eyebrows. Skye nodded. "Crosswords," she replied. "I was working on those skills in case Fitz decides to time me again." Coulson frowned. "Fitz times you on how fast you can complete crosswords?" he asked.

Well, actually, Fitz didn't. Skye didn't even know if he liked crossword puzzles. (Though, now that she thought about it, he probably did. Spitting facts everywhere while doing it, too.)

"Mm-hm!" Skye nodded again. She tapped the point of the pencil so hard that it left a little graphite mark on the tip of her finger. Quickly withdrawing her hand, Skye added, "So I'll just get going. Crossword work to do, after all." She started to walk out of the room, when Coulson asked, "What was the waste of time again?"

Skye turned. "Huh?"

Coulson gestured to the desk. "If you were looking for a pencil - which you found - what would be the waste of time?"

 _He's onto me_ , Skye thought. Shrugging her shoulders, she replied, "I didn't see the pencil before. That's why I thought it was a waste of time." (She tried to ignore the glaring fact that there was literally an entire bucket filled with pencils and pens by the desk.) Without waiting for a response, Skye said, "I gotta go now - crosswords."

"Crosswords," Skye heard Coulson call after her.

Shaking her head in humiliation, Skye hurried up to the privacy of her room.

xXx

The second Skye was out of the room, Coulson sat back at his desk with a long sigh. He was glad that Skye had gotten out without asking about anything else. Not that he found Skye's company bothersome - but today, Coulson figured it'd be better for both himself and her to stay away from each other.

Mostly because Coulson felt like crap.

It had started yesterday, with an unusually painful headache (Coulson used to be able to shake them off and be done with them...) and then the scraping, uncomfortable tickling sensation at the back of his throat. Coulson had done his best to ignore the two inconveniences, thinking that all he needed was sleep. But then he woke up this morning feeling even worse, with his body feeling hot and then cold and then hot again.

Which was also why he had mentioned that no one should bother him. And, thinking that he could at least get some work done, Coulson had risked a trip down to his office, and almost had his cover blown. (Ha.)

Now shuffling through his desk for the right papers, Coulson cast a look up at the doors, just in case Skye would reappear. Luckily for him, she didn't.

xXx

" _Stupid_!" Skye groaned, diving headfirst into her bed. "Idiot! Moron! What happened to you?" She sat up and crossing her arms over her chest, emphasized loudly, "Of all the times I need to talk, my mouth fails me _now_?! And in front of Coulson, for God's sake." She let out another long, dramatic groan, flinging herself backwards so she'd be looking up at the ceiling.

"Stupid." Skye repeated. She draped her arm over her face and mumbled against it, "Oh, hi, Coulson. I wasn't looking for a pencil. I was actually looking for you, because I just wanted to talk. You know, since it's been forever? Since I think there's a lot going on lately, with re-building SHIELD? Since we haven't had a moment of peace after all of this shit went down? Yeah. That's why I just wanted to talk." Skye rolled over on her side and sighed. "God, that was pathetic." She murmured.

 _Honestly_. Skye got away with talking to _Quinn_ , (although, then again, he did shoot her later...) with countless, clueless police officers (there was always the rare occasion Skye let herself get caught, just because she was bored in the days of her van), with other Rising Tide members (some of them were downright creepy), Ward (for some time, anyways) and a long, long list of many others.

So, naturally, Skye's quick thinking had to fail when it came to one of her friends.

"Maybe I should go back." Skye said aloud. No one (thankfully) replied. Forcing herself into a sitting position, Skye nodded her head to herself. "That's what I'll do. I'll go back - act like nothing happened - and that'll be that. It's only Coulson. He won't bother asking."

 _It's only Coulson_.

Skye got up and walked out of her bedroom before her nerves could get the best of her. She headed down the hall and made a few turns until she was back to where she started - right at Coulson's door. "Okay," Skye whispered to herself. "Act normal. Be natural." She blinked. "No," she corrected, "I am natural. I am the textbook definition of natural."

Somewhat encouraged by her own pep talk, Skye pushed open the door. To her relief, Coulson was actually in the room. (If he hadn't been there, Skye was sure she would have turned back right away. Or assumed that the universe simply wanted to laugh in her face. Maybe the latter.)

"Skye," Coulson said, looking up. He was sliding some papers back into his desk. "Done with the crossword already?" Skye smiled, holding up the still-sharp pencil. _Textbook definition of natural_ , she thought to herself. Putting the pencil on the desk, Skye replied, "Yeah...there wasn't any crossword. Sorry. Just wanted to come up with a quick getaway."

A corner of Coulson's lips twitched into a grin. "Well, at least you're being honest," he said. Skye barked out a quick laugh. "That's a plus," she agreed. She let her arms fall behind her back and added, "And...you know. You kind of screwed up my plans for an actual entrance."

"Because I wasn't here."

"Because you weren't here," Skye nodded. She cleared her throat and leaning against the wall, asked, "So, how are you?" After a pause, she went on, "I figured I'd at least ask - since I didn't do that properly before." She watched Coulson shift in his seat. "Ah," he replied, "I'm good. You?"

Skye smiled wryly. "Been better," she replied. Coulson smiled. He flicked his eyes back down at the papers and beginning to feel the uncomfortable sensation of silence trickle back into the room, Skye asked cheerfully, "Looking at anything interesting?"

At that, Coulson started to laugh. Feeling a rush of pride, Skye started grinning. It wasn't until Coulson started coughing did Skye stop.

And when he started coughing, it seemed that Coulson couldn't stop. Smile turning slowly into a frown, Skye walked forward. "AC?" she called uneasily. He bent over from his seat, trembling as each cough overtook his body until Skye finally, awkwardly, stepped forward. She tentatively placed a hand on his back, asking, " _Coulson_? You okay?"

When Coulson finally caught his breath, he leaned back in his seat and rubbing his hands over his eyes, said, "Sorry. A bit tired is all." Skye crossed her arms. "Last time I checked, you didn't try to hack up your lungs if you're tired."

"Hacking up my lungs? Sounds...impressive," Coulson responded with a weak smile.

"You're ignoring my point."

"No, I'm not."

"Yeah, you are."

Coulson stood up. "I should get going," he said, gathering his folders. Skye rolled her eyes. "You're still ignoring my point," she murmured. Coulson looked up. Tucking his things under his shoulder, Coulson gave Skye a final smile and started to move towards the door. Skye waited in the empty office by herself for a few minutes - and shortly after heard a loud series of coughs from the hallway.

Skye nodded to herself. "Still ignoring my point," she said aloud, and spun around on her heel to go after her friend.

xXx

"Aw, you look comfy." Skye said cheerfully, unashamedly sitting herself down on the foot of Coulson's bed. The director puffed out a sigh. He had his head resting against a pile of pillows, his hands settled on his lap (one hand completely made out of some sort of metal - Skye was still trying to get used to it. "Very Anakin Skywalker," she had joked), and legs slipped underneath a big heap of blankets. The miserable expression on Coulson's face definitely was what sent Skye laughing over the edge.

"I don't see what's so funny," Coulson muttered. Skye grinned and flopped on her stomach over the bed. She propped her chin up with her hands and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She held her stare with Coulson for a few moments before the older man repeated, "Still not seeing the humor." Skye tilted her head innocently. "This is the look I've developed after proving that you're hiding something ridiculously obvious. And this is also the look," she added, tilting her head to the other side, "I get when telling you that I know what you're hiding."

Coulson sighed. " _Skye_ ," he started to say, but Skye interrupted, "You're sick. Director Phil Coulson - AC - is sick and he's trying to be the heroic guy in the books - trying to cover up his pain. Aww..." Skye sat up. Planting her hands on her knees, Skye added lightly, "To be honest, Coulson, I'm almost disappointed that you didn't make a better attempt at trying to keep secrets from me." Grinning and sticking the tip of her tongue out between her teeth, Skye pointed, saying, "I've got my eyes set on you."

Coulson opened his mouth to reply - maybe give some sort of retort - but all that came out was a heavy, loud series of coughs that caused him to lean over the bed. Skye quickly rolled off the bed, alarmed. She started to walk towards Coulson, but he lifted a hand in front of him, blocking her. "It's fine," he gasped out. "I'm _fine_."

Skye bit down on her lip as she watched Coulson get the last of his coughs out. "That doesn't sound fine," she responded, gently pushing away Coulson's hand. She sat down next to him and without hesitating, pushed up her hand to his forehead. To her relief, the man didn't bother moving away. Instead, he seemed to melt right into Skye's touch. His eyes fluttered to a close, a small sigh escaping his lips. And Skye could tell why.

"God, you're so hot," Skye murmured. She looked down at Coulson, who hadn't reacted in any way. Exhaling an uneasy sigh, Skye let her other hand fall over her own forehead to compare her body heat with Coulson's. Even though she could have come to this conclusion without checking her own body heat, Skye knew for certain that there was definitely a fever raging around Coulson. And a bad one, if Skye was inferring correctly.

Carefully sliding her hand away from Coulson, Skye said, "Okay. Give me a few seconds to do something about your fever. Don't - don't cough up your lungs or your heart while I'm gone." She didn't hear Coulson's response as she bolted out of the room.

Skye searched through medicine cabinets - shuffled through the many bottles of pills - until her hand came across the right bottle of Advil. "Thank God for medicine," Skye whispered aloud, wrapping her hand around the bottle. She practically sprinted back to Coulson's room, banging open the door (and wincing at the loud sound that followed) and tumbling by the older man's side. She placed the pills on the nightstand - and only a moment later, Skye came to the realization that she hadn't brought any water. "Give me another second," she said to Coulson.

"Skye," Coulson said, blinking his eyes open. Skye paused, turning around. "Yeah?" she asked. "Do you need anything else?" Coulson shook his head. "It's just - I can do this myself," he said slowly. Skye snorted. "Let you take care of yourself when you're sick? No way," Skye replied. She rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. "And besides," she added, "I can handle this by myself. You just...do what normal sick people are supposed to do. And that's to rest, in case you didn't get the memo."

xXx

When Skye returned, she was glad to find that Coulson wasn't coughing too loudly. Still, he looked remarkably pale, now that she was paying more attention. Handing Coulson the pills and a glass of water, Skye asked, "How long have you been feeling sick?"

Coulson took his time to respond.

Finally, he said, "Since last night."

Skye frowned. "You didn't say anything?"

"I didn't think it'd feel that bad."

"God, well, that was an understatement."

"Ha."

Skye pressed her lips together. "Okay, then, AC," she said, standing up. "New doctor's orders. You're not allowed to get any work done, especially in your condition," she added loudly. "Secondly, if you need anything - literally anything - you're gonna say something, okay?" Sitting back down on Coulson's bed, she added, "And thirdly, I'm not leaving this place until you are one hundred percent better."

At this, Coulson started to protest. "I can get you sick," he argued. "That won't do you any good." Skye drummed her fingers against the blankets. "I've got a strong immune system," she responded. "You'd be surprised. Once, when all of the girls around me came down with the flu, I was the only one standing. I used to surprise the nuns all the time." She grinned, flexing her biceps. "See? You've got nothing to worry about."

"Just watch. Tomorrow, you'll be looking and feeling miserable because you wouldn't listen," Coulson said, but Skye knew he was only half being sincere.

"But since tomorrow hasn't come yet, I'm still gonna stick around," Skye said cheerfully. She scooted herself next to Coulson and started to adjust the blankets. "Get some rest, AC." Her voice was quieter this time. "Better sleep off that medicine."

"Since when did you know how to -"

"Care for sick, in-denial directors? I've got a lot of surprises hidden up my sleeves," Skye replied. She dug herself a little into the blankets, adding, "And I'm gonna stay right here. Just in case you need anything." She felt herself beam when the first flashes of humor crossed Coulson's face. Then, closing his eyes, he murmured, "This is a little unnerving, don't you think?"

"What's unnerving?"

"You're watching me sleep."

"Yes, Bella."

"Not saying that I watched the movies or the books, but I'm pretty sure you just made a _Twilight_ reference. And you are _not_ a vampire."

Skye snorted. "Okay," she replied, rolling over on her side. "But seriously - get some rest. And for the record, I think I'm much cooler than any vampire." She stole a look down at her hands. "Making earthquakes has got to be a bit higher on the badass list, right?"

There was silence from Coulson's end. Frowning, Skye looked up, already beginning to call the man's name again - only to find that he was - or at least, seemed to be - fast asleep. Skye's expression softened and she carefully sat up, watching the way Coulson's chest seemed to rise and fall. The quiet, deep breaths that sounded gently across the room was the next bit of proof that allowed Skye to utter a soft laugh. "Not so unnerving, after all," she whispered.

Smiling, Skye gently lowered Coulson properly on the bed, trying to ignore the still-uncomfortably hot heat pulsing against her fingertips. She rearranged the pillows - not for an any apparent reason - and then, after a moment of thinking, Skye left for the bathroom.

xXx

Skye slipped the cool cloth over Coulson's forehead, taking care so it wouldn't slip off. She watched as the older man started to shiver against the cloth, making a soft, grating sound at the back of his throat. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, Skye re-arranged the cloth, hoping that it would be a bit more comfortable.

Instead, Coulson's head jerked to the side, causing the towelette to tumble off. Skye sighed. She picked it up from Coulson's side and folded it over. "Really stubborn, aren't you?" Skye asked aloud.

xXx

"What's going on there?"

"Coulson's sick," Skye replied nonchalantly.

"Ah - wait, he's sick?" The surprise in Fitz's voice was palpable. Skye nodded, but remembering that her friend couldn't see her, Skye replied, "I know. I was a little shocked at first, too." She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Coulson was still asleep - he was.

"Listen, do you know when you're gonna come back from...whatever you're doing?" Skye asked, and then instantly felt a stab of guilt when she heard Fitz sigh from the other end. "I can," he said hesitantly, "but I was...actually going to -"

"No, never mind," Skye replied quickly. "I get it. You're busy."

"Hunter can help -"

"No, he's busy with Bobbi."

"Mack?"

"Isn't he helping you?"

"Er...yeah. May?"

"She's still on her break with Andrew."

There was a gap in their conversation, and Skye knew what it was. _Simmons_. And she also knew that Fitz was worrying his mind out - everyone was worrying their minds out, but Fitz especially.

Clearing her throat, Skye tried to fill the awkward and unsettling hole in the discussion by saying, "Do you have any tips at least? I gave Coulson some medicine - cold cloth - but I just want to make sure that I'm doing all of this right. Just in case."

"Tea," was Fitz's instant reply. "Tea works. And make sure he's not wearing too many clothes. And keep the room temperature comfortable for him. And ah, make sure he's not barreling headfirst into anything else."

"Gotcha. Tea, room temp, and keep him away from anything stressful. Right."

xXx

Skye did as Fitz had instructed - after managing a few sips of tea into Coulson and persuading him to change out of his shirt and into a better, airier undershirt, she flopped back on his bed. She turned her head to see Coulson already drifting back asleep. Which Skye decided was a good thing.

Sighing to herself, and feeling rather tired as well, Skye curled herself up into the blankets and closed her eyes, resting one hand on Coulson's arm.

xXx

"Was there a slumber party that I missed out on?"

Skye's eyes blinked open. She had to blink a few times to make out the somewhat blurry figure standing at the front of the room - and startling, she realized that it was Hunter. He was holding a few plastic bags in his hands - eyebrows lifted and expression a mix of bewildered and amused.

Skye was about to sit up when she realized there was an odd weight on her. She flicked her eyes over to the side to find Coulson's head resting at the tip of shoulder. Skye let out a small sigh and turning to look back at Hunter, she said simply, "I was helping Coulson. He wasn't feeling well."

"I can see that." Hunter mused. He looked around the room. "Let's see...tissue boxes, some towels...tea! Ha, I thought I heard Fitz talking about tea - um...some pushed-away folders...a discarded shirt..." He looked down at Skye. "I missed out on some bonding experience, didn't I?"

"Something like that," Skye replied. Hunter grinned. "Got takeout - chicken noodle - figured you two might need the break." He said cheerfully, holding up the bags. Skye smiled. "Thanks," she responded, and right on time, Coulson started to stir.

After a few moments of confused silence, the man asked groggily, "'s that Hunter?"

"Aye," Hunter responded dryly. "And I come bearing gifts."

xXx

"Hunter, _stop_. I look like a mess whenever I'm sleeping."

"Well, Coulson's the sick one in this photo, and he's not complaining," Hunter replied, holding up the photo on his phone. Skye sighed, shaking her head as Fitz took the phone. "Look at that," he said pleasantly. "I think we should - ah, Hunter?"

"Send it around? Already ahead of you, mate."

At this, Coulson looked up. " _Guys_."

"What?"

"At least send it to me first."

Skye rolled her eyes as Fitz and Hunter's faces broke into wide smiles.

xXx

"I told you I was going to get you sick," Coulson was telling Skye a few days later. Groaning loudly, Skye threw her arm over her face. "Okay, okay," she mumbled, coughing weakly. "You were right, hooray. I feel like hell frozen over."

She felt the mattress underneath her fall a bit as Coulson sat next to her. Skye managed to open her eyes to see him looking down at her. "What?" she asked.

Coulson responded by tentatively - gently - pressing his hand against the side of Skye's face. Skye froze. She looked up, a questioning look already on her face. However, Coulson wasn't too focused on that. Instead, with a frown, he said, "You've got a fever."

"It'll be gone soon."

"I'll get something," Coulson replied, turning towards the door. "You - get some rest afterwards."

"Yes, sir," Skye muttered under her breath, watching Coulson walk out.

A smile formed on her lips.

* * *

A/N - I just have a thing for sick!Coulson. And Skye. And maybe them just being fluffy, whether friendship/family or romantic is your choice. I happen to be a Skoulson shipper - please don't judge me, especially since I know that Skoulson is kind of the ship that a lot of people in the fandom dislike - but I also don't really want to make people to interpret this any which way. (Now, unless I get them to kiss or explicitly describe them as a couple, then one will know it is, without a doubt, Skoulson.)

Plus, I just love their relationship. Completely. Platonically or romantically, it's just so GREAT AND UNDERRATED. Why aren't there any fics on them here? *sighs dramatically*

As always, reviews would be great! Constructive criticism is okay (as long as it's about the actual grammar/characterization/WRITING, not the fact that I like Skoulson - I see you, trolls,) but hating and flames are not!


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